Such is the path for Disney's "The Lion King" now playing at Mandalay Bay.

For those who have never seen the show or the animated movie it is based on, the story is sort of a stripped down version of "King Lear" with lions. It opens with the current king of the jungle, Mufasa, celebrating the birth of an heir to the throne in Simba (cue "Circle of Life"). All seems destined except for Mufasa's brother Scar, an evil schemer bent on becoming the ruler himself. Treachery, murder, and some wily hyenas follow leading to a young Simba escaping to the wilds unknown while Scar takes over the kingdom.

It's a much more serious story than one might expect, especially for something that is often considered to be a kid friendly show. Some scenes are downright harrowing including a brilliantly staged wildebeest stampede that ends in the death of a major character. When I was a child this would've scared the crap out of me but I was kind of a wuss so who knows how today's modern youth might respond. Parents you have been warned.

The comic relief doesn't really come until the end of the first act with the appearance of classic Disney sidekicks Timon and Pumba, both played for maximum yucks.

The plot and the Elton John/Tim Rice music are almost incidental to the dramatic and delightful staging featuring puppets and costumes that evoke rather than emulate. From the opening sequence with a parade of gazelles, elephants, giraffes, and lions flowing through the theater to final climactic battle between Simba and Scar, the set pieces are visually stunning.

Good thing, too, because without them the story is not always completely engaging. The first act leading up to the aforementioned murder is more than an hour long and quite frankly it's not until then that the story really starts to pick up steam. The second act is shorter, thankfully, but it's still a 2 ˝ hour production (with a 15 minute intermission). Patience is required (parents, you have been warned again).

With the exception of the recognizable tunes like "Circle of Life," "Can You Feel the Love Tonight," and "Hakuna Matata" most of the songs are not exactly hummable, but their roots in traditional African music are a refreshing change of pace and the uniformly excellent cast delivers them with gusto.

The cast is worth noting on its own, not just because they are good, but because they are almost exclusively people of color. That is a refreshing change for any Broadway musical and for any Las Vegas show, which are often homogenized to the point of blandness.

One other warning for parents… just a reminder in case you weren't paying attention… this production of Disney's The Lion King is inside a Las Vegas casino. I'm sure you knew that, but it's should be reinforced lest you be walking out of the theater with your impressionable tots and be greeted, as I was, with a quartet of shirtless frat boys walking past the theater with their four-foot tall plastic beer containers while shouting various things that impressionable young tots shouldn't be hearing on their way out of a Disney show. Granted you could probably see worse coming out of the theater in New York, but what happens in Vegas may require some explanation.